1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved device for handling slider rows and, in particular, to an improved apparatus for automatically debonding, processing, and handling fragile slider rows.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hard disk drives (HDD) include one or more disks and a disk controller to manage local operations concerning the disks. The disks are mounted on a spindle that is turned by a disk drive motor at several thousand revolutions per minute (rpm). A typical HDD also utilizes an actuator assembly to move magnetic read/write heads to desired locations on the rotating disk to write information to or read data from that location. Within most HDDs, the magnetic read/write heads are mounted on a slider. A slider generally serves to mechanically support the head and any electrical connections between the head and the rest of the disk drive system. The slider is aerodynamically shaped to glide over moving air in order to maintain a uniform distance from the surface of the rotating disk, thereby preventing the head from undesirably contacting the disk.
Fabricating sliders is a very delicate process that requires numerous precise operations. Some sliders are formed by first manufacturing a continuous row or bar of the sliders that is then cut into the individual sliders. The bars, which are usually formed from a very fragile ceramic material, are bonded to a carrying fixture for a series of vacuum and photolithographic operations. After these operations are complete, it is necessary to very carefully remove the bonded bars from the carrying fixture due to the very fragile and sensitive nature of the bars. The following are potential areas of damage that must be considered, avoided, and/or minimized during this sequence of debonding processes: electrostatic discharge (ESD); mechanical scratching; physical chipping or cracking (conchoidal fracturing) of substrate; mechanical bending, burning, or denting of submicron features; and organic and inorganic contamination.
In the prior art, completely manual processes have been used to debond slider rows and are the only known solutions. Several attempts to automate this process have failed. The following drawbacks are associated with manual processing: No process repeatability monitoring; no process control; messy, dirty operation; uncontrolled contamination of parts is inherent to process; electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to the heads; high temperatures are hazardous to the operator; the tool damages the heads; and significant manual handling; thermal and temporal variability due to operator influence. Thus, an improved apparatus for automatically debonding, processing, and handling fragile slider rows would be desirable.